


Ashes

by Jathis



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Fire, Genderfluid Character, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Moving On
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 15:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21430612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: Lefou takes care of some last affairs and Stanley helps him
Relationships: LeFou & Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), LeFou/Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	Ashes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YodaBen2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YodaBen2/gifts).

Stanley stood to Lefou’s right, giving him as much space as he needed. They saw the way his hands trembled as he slipped the key into the lock and they held their tongue. They waited patiently as there was a pause before Lefou turned the key.

He needed to do this. He needed to get through this. Stanley was there for support but Stanley could not take the burden onto their own shoulders. It was Lefou’s alone.

Taking a deep breath, Lefou turned the key and pushed the door in. He looked over at Stanley and smiled sadly, bowing to them as he gestured into the house. “Welcome to Chateau d’Gaston!” he bitterly said. “After you, cher.”

They offered Lefou a sad smile before stepping into the house. Stanley whistled softly as they looked around, raising an eyebrow before turning back to Lefou. “He really did use antlers for everything, didn’t he?”

“Hunting stags was his favorite,” Lefou softly explained. He shrugged a little, looking around the trophies that covered almost everything in the living area of Gaston’s home. “I think he saw something of himself in them so he wanted to show he was the best by killing them. Which kind of shows how warped his brain was actually now that I think about it…”

Stanley placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Everyone saw him in a light he didn’t deserve,” they said.

“Oui, but not everyone knew him like I did. I should have known better.”

“Love makes people do foolish things, cher.”

Lefou sighed but didn’t respond to that. He looked around the room one more time before heading towards the back. “His bedroom is over here,” he said instead.

“There’s nothing important in the living room?”

“Just dead animals and weapons,” Lefou said, shaking his head in disgust. “He kept all of that out for everyone to look at and admire. He thought killing things made him look strong.”

Stanley was only faintly surprised when they saw the giant pair of antlers set into the headboard of Gaston’s massive bed. They tilted their head a little, wondering how he got into bed without getting skewered on the sharp points. Luck seemed to favor the undeserving, allowing him to have so much vanity and hubris.

They were snapped out of their thoughts by the sound and Lefou breaking one of the floorboards. “Qu'est-ce que tu fais?” they asked.

“Getting the only thing that matters in this entire house,” Lefou muttered. He set the piece of wood he held aside, reaching down into the hole he had created.

“The only thing..?” Stanley frowned but said nothing, watching Lefou as he pulled a small box out of the hole.

“Oui, the only thing,” he sighed. He opened the lid and looked inside. His expression softened and tears started to fill his eyes. He covered his eyes with one shaking hand, trying and failing to control himself. A soft sob escaped him and he winced at the sound.

“Oh cher…” Stanley was at Lefou’s side at once, kneeling beside him. They hugged him around his shoulders, pressing their lips to his temple. “C'est bon. Je suis là pour toi,” they whispered.

Lefou let out a weak whine as he turned his head, burying his face against Stanley’s neck. He nearly dropped the box but Stanley was able to catch it, looking inside of it.

What looked like an old silver coin sat inside. Someone had crudely carved into the medal, making designs on it in a mimicry of a proper military one. Whatever ribbon had been used had rotted away over the years.

“You don’t get a medal unless you serve at least ten years or come from a noble house.” Stanley looked up at Lefou, rubbing his back as he stared at the makeshift medal. “I made this for him after he saved my life.”

“He saved your life?”

“Oui, after I was shot in the side,” Lefou explained. “He stayed with me and used his knuckle to seal the wound and stop the blood. He forced our medic to help me.” Lefou laughed bitterly through his tears, shaking his head. “I would be dead if not for his loud voice and threatening demeanor. Imagine that, eh?”

“Everyone has the ability to do good. They have to choose to do it.”

“I know.” Lefou sighed as he pushed himself up onto his feet, pocketing the medal. “Come on, cherie.”

“That’s all?” Stanley asked.

Lefou shrugged. “Everything else is just...a tribute to vanity and a complete disregard for life. This medal is the only evidence that Gaston could care about anything but himself once upon a time.”

“What do you want to do with the house?” Lefou told them and Stanley nodded their head. “I’ll help,” they promised him.

The two sealed the windows first. Wooden boards were nailed over the glass, ensuring it wouldn’t shatter outwards. The doors were dealt with next, broken wide open to cut down on the time it would take for the entire building to be engulfed. Straw and hay from the abandoned horse stall were spread all around the floor. The remaining bottles of alcohol Gaston drank were opened and poured all over, special care taken to soak the antlers and other hunting trophies.

Stanley held the torch in one hand. They looked at Lefou once the last of the alcohol was spread around, face neutral. “Do you want to do it?” they asked.

Lefou stared at the torch. He watched the way the flames danced and crackled and he remembered the mob and massive blaze Gaston had formed that night he tried to kill the prince. Wordlessly he reached out and Stanley gave him the torch with a kiss on the forehead.

They walked out of the house together. Lefou turned back once and he threw the torch into a puddle they had made just inside the doorway. Stanley quickly slammed the door shut and they moved a safe distance away to watch as Gaston’s house lit up from the inside out.

Stanley hugged Lefou around the middle as they watched it burn. “I’m here,” they whispered.

Lefou rested his head on their shoulder, the medal pressed against his chest. “I know. I love you,” he said.

The two watched the house burn the rest of the night. They kept the fire under control, protecting the surrounding trees and wildlife from any damage. In the morning the house was nothing but ashes and Lefou just watched as the wind blew it into the air.

“...I feel lighter,” he confessed.

Stanley just smiled, kissing the top of his head. “You deserve nothing less.”


End file.
